When an athlete does not pay his agent, the agent typically has no option but to file a grievance through the appropriate players' association's proscribed arbitration method. This often speeds up the collection process and keeps it quiet.

Coaches are part of no such association that governs the way in which their agents are eligible to collect on past due fees. As such, disputes become part of the public record and are made available for all to scrutinize.

Case-in-point, The Legacy Agency (TLA) has filed a lawsuit against Cincinnati head men's basketball coach Mick Cronin for failure to pay $206,000 in management fees for services rendered by the company since 2006. That is the year that Cronin originally entered into an employment agreement with the University of Cincinnati.

"TLA was involved on behalf of Cronin in the discussions and negotiations resulting in the execution of the Employment Agreement and each subsequent amendment to the Employment Agreement, including the Amended Agreement, and otherwise advised Cronin with respect to the Employment Agreement and each of the amendments that change or update the notice provisions, including the Amended Agreement," states the Complaint.

Cronin was to pay The Legacy Agency a 4% fee on his compensation from Cincinnati per the agreement between the parties. The fees were to be paid by Cronin to his agent on or before December 1 of each year during the term.

The main cause of action in the Complaint is for breach of the agency agreement by Cronin allegedly failing to pay the past due management fees and refusing to account for same.

A part of the problem may be that Cronin has been represented by Jordan Bazant, who was a principal and partner of The Legacy Agency. Bazant left The Legacy Agency in 2016 to join sports and entertainment agency WME | IMG.

The lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York.